Safety exit-door bolt mechanism.



F. NBVINS & W. B. MORBWOOD.

SAFETY EXIT DOOR BOLT MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 21, 190B.

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COLUMBIA PL UNITE@ STATES PATENT EBICE.

FREDERICK NEVINS, OF BRGOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND WILLIAM B. MGREWOOD, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY; SAID NEVINS ASSIGNOR TO SAID IIIOREWOOD.

SAFETY EXIT-DOOR BOLT MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 31, 1911.

Application led December 21, 1908. Serial No. 468,621.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, FREDERICK NnvINs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, and WIL- LIAM B. MoRnwooD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabeth, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Exit-Door Bolt Mechanism, as set forth in the following specication.

This invention relates to safety exit doorbolt mechanism, which is particularly useful in connection with doors which serve as exits for auditoriums, theaters, schools and other places of assemblage. With this type of mechanism it is contemplated that one or more or a crowd of people pushing against the door in an attempt to escape from the auditorium will involuntarily, by body contact, operate the boor bolt mechanism to release and open the door. By body contact"7 it should be understood that the contact may be actually that of a persons body or that of their limbs.

An object of the present invention is to provide for the safety features as described and also to provide for the automatic latching of the door bolts upon the closing of the door; also to provide for the operation of the bolts to release the door from the outside by means of a key. To these ends it is contemplated that a push piece be provided which may extend horizontally across substantially the entire width of the door. This particular type of push piece and its functions and location are contemplated as one of the objective features of the invention.

Suitable link and lever `mechanism connect the movable push piece with the bolting means for operating the same into releasing position. In a preferred form a slack connection is provided for connecting this link and lever mechanism with the latching bolt so that the latching bolt may be retracted independently of the movement of the push plate, that is, without moving the push plate.

The above and further objects of the in- Vention will be pointed out more in detail in the accompanying claims and will be apparent from the following description which should be read in connection with the ac- Figure 1 is a horizontal section through line I-I of F ig. 2, parts being shown in plan; and Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the door bolt mechanism in position on a door with parts broken away.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings,-1 indicates a door construction framed in a suitable manner vand shown as being hinged along the vertical edge 2 by hinges 3 to the post 4L. Thejamb post is indicated by 5 and is provided with a suitable number of sockets or socket means 6 for receiving bolting means shown in the form of a latch bolt 7 provided with a beveled head 8. The bolt 7 may have a square shank supported and guided in a bearing piece 9 suitably secured to the door. The rearward end of the shank 7 may be of any suitable contour and likewise extends through a bearing piece 10 which is suitably secured in position. A compression spring 11 is shown encircling the shank of the bolt 7 and reacts against a collar 12 secured to the bolt. The collar 12 serves also as a stop to limit the outward throw of the bolt. In the construction illustrated the bearing pieces 9 and 10 may be cast integrally one with another and be provided with a connecting tubular shell 13 to inclose the shank of the bolt, spring, etc., all as indicated and forming a casing adapted to be secured to the inner face of the door.

A pin 14 is shown suitably secured to the bolt 7. In this instance it is shown secured to collar 12 and projecting out of the casing 13 through a slot 15 provided therefor into position to be engaged by the tongue 16 of a suitable key 17 which may be passed through the door from the outside through the keyhole 18.

rIhe push piece is indicated by 19 and it may be a plate extending horizontally substantially across the entire width lof the door y v25 which is pivoted by means of pin 26 to bracket 27 secured to the door 1. The short arm 28 of the bell crank lever is suitably connected by link 29 With the bolt means 7. In the construction shown a clevis 30 is secured to the inner end ot' the shank of the bolt 7. rlhe clevis is provided with longitudinal slots 31 which cooperate With the pin 32 of the link 29 to form a slack connection whereby the bolt 7 may be retracted independently of the push plate 19 and lthe interconnecting mechanism. The slots 31 of the clevis 3() obviously permit the movement of the bolt means in a retracting direction.

It is, of course, to be understood that the relative dimensions of the push plate 19 and its exact relative disposition may be varied Without altering its essential features and operation.

To open the door from the exterior the key 17 may be inserted and turned to cause the tongue 16 to engage the pin 111, which is termed herein means providing for the key manipulation from the outside of the door for operating the bolt means. By the continued rotation of the key, its tongue carries the pin 111 and bolt into releasing position thereby unbolting or unlocking the door. The key may then be removed at will. To lock the door from the outside all that is necessary it to slam the door to in Which case the beveled head 8 of the bolt means shoots the latch bolt back, the slots 31 permitting its quick movement, and, when the door is completely closed, the spring 11 throws the latching bolt into its socket 6 to lock the door and yieldingly to hold the push plate 19 in operative position through the medium of the link and lever mechanism.

1n case of tire or panic a person pushing against the inside of the door contacts With the push plate 19 Which yields inwardly toward the door operating the bell crank lever 25 so that the link 29 drags the bolt out of its socket 6 against the spring 11 to unbolt the door which opens in response to the pressure upon its inner face.

It is, of course, to be understood, that it is contemplated that the invention is not limited to a door provided with only one bolt, the term bolt means being understood as covering this understanding.

What is claimed and what is desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is 1. In safety exit-door bolt: mechanism in combination, a latching door bolt spring pressed toward latching position and secured horizontally to the interior face ot the door; a bell crank lever pivoted at its elbow to said door in alinement With said bolt; a link connecting said bolt With one arm of said lever; a horizontal push piece hinged at its far end to said door and overlying said link, lever and bolt to conceal the same; and means operatively connecting said push elbow to said door in alinement with said` bolt; a link pivoted to one arm ci said bell crank levei` and connected by means of a slack connection With said latching door bolt and permitting the quick retraction of said latching bolt Without the operation of the rest of the mechanism; a horizontal push piece hinged at its far end to said door and overlying said link, lever and bolt to conceal the same; and means operatively connecting said push piece with the other arm ot said bell crank lever.

3. 1n safety exit-door bolt mechanism in combination, a latching door bolt spring pressed toward latching position and secured horizontally to the interior face of the door; a bell crank lever pivoted at its elbovv to said door in alinement with said bolt; a link pivoted to one arm of said bell crank lever and connected by means of a slack connection With said latching door bolt and permitting the quick retraction of said latching bolt Without the operation of the rest of the mechanism; means operable by a key from the outside of the door for retracting said latching bolt; a horizontal push piece hinged at its liar end to said door and overlying said link, lever and bolt to conceal the same; and means operatively connecting said push piece with the other arm of said bell crank lever.

t. 1n saiety exit-door bolt mechanism in combination a horizontally disposed push piece operable by body contact; means for hinging said push piece at on-e end to the inside tace of the door; a latching door bolt; spring means pressing said bolt toward bolting position; and link and lever mechanism mechanically connecting said push piece with said bolt and operable upon the pushing of the push piece to retract said bolt', said link and lever mechanism comprising a slack connection permitting the retraction of said bolt independently of the movement of said push piece; and means providing for key manipulation from the outside of the door for operating said bolt.

5. In safety exit-door bolt mechanism in combination, a latching door bolt spring pressed toward latching position and secured to the door; an elongated horizontally disposed push plate hinged at one end to the inner face ot' the door to swing toward the door on a vertical axis; a lever mechanism connected at one end to said push plate intermediate its ends; and a link having a pin and slot slack connection With said latching door bolt to permit t-he independent free and 7o retraction of said latching door bolt and l names to this specification, in the presence operatively connecting said latching door of two subscribing witnesses. bolt with said lever mechanism, whereby FREDERICK NEVINS. the pushing of said push plate toward the WM. B. MOREWOOD. 5 face of the dooi` letraets said latehing door Witnesses:

bolt. LOUELLA F. LITTLE,

In testimony whereof, we have signed our LEONARD DAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

